Rural Clinical School for Tamworth

Monday 13 February 2006

The University of Newcastle will receive $1.5 million each year from the Australian Government’s Department of Health and Ageing to establish a Rural Clinical School (RCS) in July 2006.

The RCS will be co-located with the University of Newcastle’s University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) and based in the new education centre on the grounds of Tamworth Base Hospital. The RCS will also provide funding to teach medical students in Armidale, Moree and Taree.

The RCS program is funded by the Department of Health and Ageing and aims to improve the future rural medical workforce by having 25% of all undergraduate medical students spend more than one year of their clinical training time in a rural centre.

The program commenced at other rural centres around Australia in 2002, and along with the UDRH program, is a key part of the Australian Government’s Rural Health Strategy. The UDRH based in Tamworth was established in 2002 with six fourth year students based in Tamworth. Undergraduate medical education has increased more than three-fold since that time with 20 medical students now based in Tamworth for the first semester of 2006.

Professor Peter Jones, Director of the UDRH, says “It has been great to see the medical education program grow and develop and to see some of the early students now returning to Tamworth to work as qualified doctors.”

“It is very exciting to have the Australian Government increase its support for the Rural Health Strategy in this region through establishing the RCS. The future for the medical workforce in this region is looking brighter.”

Professor Michael Hensley, Dean of the University of Newcastle’s Medical School, will visit Tamworth on Tuesday 14 February 2006 to present grand rounds to the local clinicians and medical students in the UDRH Foundation Lecture Theatre.

The purpose of the visit is to provide the local doctors who teach the medical students whilst they are based in Tamworth with an update on the University of Newcastle’s Medical School. Accompanying Professor Hensley will be Dr Malcolm Ireland, the Medical course program convener, and Dr Patricia McGettigan, the course coordinator for fifth year Medicine. They will also provide information to both students and the local doctors about the innovations occurring in the medical degree and the establishment of the RCS.

“This is an opportunity to meet with the local doctors and listen to their feedback to help us to continue to improve the teaching of the medical students through the University of Newcastle’s program,” says Professor Hensley.

”The local doctors have provided outstanding teaching to the students based in Tamworth; a very popular choice among students. The announcement of the RCS funding is welcomed by the University of Newcastle. It will be a further boost to the excellent rural medical education delivered in Tamworth and other UDRH centres and augurs well for the future of the medical workforce in Tamworth and Northern NSW.”

For interviews with Professor Michael Hensley or Professor Peter Jones, contact Sue Hombsch on (02) 6767 8462.